A Two-Echelon Neighborhood Search Algorithm for a Forwarder's Job Assignment in a Multi-Agent Logistics Network

2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (03) ◽  
pp. 1550018
Author(s):  
Yong Wang ◽  
Wen He ◽  
Yer Van Hui ◽  
Lawrence C. Leung
Keyword(s):  
Search Algorithm ◽  
Computation Time ◽  
Integer Program ◽  
Mixed Integer ◽  
Neighborhood Search ◽  
Mixed Integer Program ◽  
Nonlinear Program ◽  
Upper Echelon ◽  
Logistics Network ◽  
Unit Costs

Freight forwarders plan shipping logistics for client shipments based on available transport networks where logistics agents move commodities from origins to destinations. Forwarders typically have the option of assigning shipments to in-house agents or to sub-contracting agents. When making such assignment decisions, consolidation of shipments is a plausible cost-saving consideration. In this paper, we consider assignments of shipments to agents as well as shipment routing choices on a network. We formulate the problem as a nonlinear program where unit costs charged by agents are described as nonlinear functions. The special case with piecewise constant unit costs is formulated as a mixed integer program. We then develop a two-echelon heuristic algorithm to solve the nonlinear program. The upper echelon of the heuristic assigns shipments to suitable agents by adopting a set of neighborhood policies, while the lower echelon improves the routing plan by consolidating jobs along (sub) paths. The feasibility and validity of the heuristic are examined based on randomly generated instances. Computational results show that the heuristic is able to obtain good solutions in manageable computation time. The effects of network density and iteration limits on the performance of the heuristic are also characterized.

Intraroute Resource Replenishment with Mobile Depots

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julian Hof ◽  
Michael Schneider
Keyword(s):  
Vehicle Routing ◽  
Distribution Systems ◽  
Time Windows ◽  
Computation Time ◽  
Integer Program ◽  
Mixed Integer ◽  
Neighborhood Search ◽  
Mixed Integer Program ◽  
Routing Problem ◽  
Commercial Solver

In numerous practical vehicle-routing applications, larger vehicles are employed as mobile depots to support a fleet of smaller vehicles that perform certain tasks. The mobile depots offer the possibility of keeping the task vehicles operational by supplying them en route with certain resources. For example, in two-echelon distribution systems, small task vehicles are used to navigate narrow streets and to deliver/collect goods or to collect waste, and larger vehicles serve as mobile depots to replenish the goods to be delivered or to receive collected goods or waste at the outskirts of the urban area. Accessibility constraints may also be imposed by regulations on emissions, which make some areas only accessible for environmentally friendly vehicles such as, for example, battery-powered electric vehicles. Especially if the respective refueling infrastructure is sparse, mobile refueling stations seem to be an interesting alternative. In this paper, we introduce the vehicle-routing problem with time windows and mobile depots (VRPTWMD) to capture the routing decisions of the described applications in a generalized fashion. The VRPTWMD is characterized by fleets of task vehicles (TVs) and support vehicles (SVs). The SVs may serve as mobile depots to restore either the load or the fuel capacity of the TVs that are used to fulfill the customer requests. We present a mixed-integer program for the VRPTWMD with which small instances can be solved using a commercial solver. Moreover, we develop a high-quality hybrid heuristic composed of an adaptive large neighborhood search and a path relinking approach to provide solutions on larger problem instances. We use a newly generated set of large VRPTWMD instances to analyze the effect of different problem characteristics on the structure of the identified solutions. In addition, our approach shows very convincing performance on benchmark instances for the related two-echelon multiple-trip VRP with satellite synchronization, which can be viewed as a special case of the VRPTWMD. Our heuristic is able to significantly improve a large part of the previous best-known solutions while spending notably less computation time than the comparison algorithm from the literature.

A stochastic mixed integer program to model spatial wildfire behavior and suppression placement decisions with uncertain weather

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 234-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin J. Belval ◽  
Yu Wei ◽  
Michael Bevers
Keyword(s):  
Wildland Fire ◽  
Fire Behavior ◽  
Integer Program ◽  
Mixed Integer ◽  
Mixed Integer Program ◽  
Weather Forecasts ◽  
Placement Decisions ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
Weather Changes ◽  
Nonanticipativity Constraints

Wildfire behavior is a complex and stochastic phenomenon that can present unique tactical management challenges. This paper investigates a multistage stochastic mixed integer program with full recourse to model spatially explicit fire behavior and to select suppression locations for a wildland fire. Simplified suppression decisions take the form of “suppression nodes”, which are placed on a raster landscape for multiple decision stages. Weather scenarios are used to represent a distribution of probable changes in fire behavior in response to random weather changes, modeled using probabilistic weather trees. Multistage suppression decisions and fire behavior respond to these weather events and to each other. Nonanticipativity constraints ensure that suppression decisions account for uncertainty in weather forecasts. Test cases for this model provide examples of fire behavior interacting with suppression to achieve a minimum expected area impacted by fire and suppression.

A Note on a Conceptual Framework for Dynamic Location—Allocation Analysis

1976 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 443-446
Author(s):  
W G Truscott
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Integer Program ◽  
Original Version ◽  
Mixed Integer ◽  
Mixed Integer Program ◽  
Location Allocation ◽  
Dynamic Location

This note examines a previously published model for dynamic location—allocation analysis. The usefulness of this model is enhanced by reformulating the problem as an operational zero-one, mixed-integer program while retaining the intent of the original version.

scholarly journals A GRASP Approach for Solving Large-Scale Electric Bus Scheduling Problems

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (20) ◽  
pp. 6610
Author(s):  
Raka Jovanovic ◽  
Islam Safak Bayram ◽  
Sertac Bayhan ◽  
Stefan Voß
Keyword(s):  
Public Transport ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Integer Program ◽  
Mixed Integer ◽  
Transport Systems ◽  
Mixed Integer Program ◽  
Scheduling Problems ◽  
Electric Bus ◽  
Battery Capacity

Electrifying public bus transportation is a critical step in reaching net-zero goals. In this paper, the focus is on the problem of optimal scheduling of an electric bus (EB) fleet to cover a public transport timetable. The problem is modelled using a mixed integer program (MIP) in which the charging time of an EB is pertinent to the battery’s state-of-charge level. To be able to solve large problem instances corresponding to real-world applications of the model, a metaheuristic approach is investigated. To be more precise, a greedy randomized adaptive search procedure (GRASP) algorithm is developed and its performance is evaluated against optimal solutions acquired using the MIP. The GRASP algorithm is used for case studies on several public transport systems having various properties and sizes. The analysis focuses on the relation between EB ranges (battery capacity) and required charging rates (in kW) on the size of the fleet needed to cover a public transport timetable. The results of the conducted computational experiments indicate that an increase in infrastructure investment through high speed chargers can significantly decrease the size of the necessary fleets. The results also show that high speed chargers have a more significant impact than an increase in battery sizes of the EBs.

Multi-Objective Territory Design for Sales Managers of a Direct Sales Company

2019 ◽  
pp. 160-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elias Olivares-Benitez ◽  
Pilar Novo Ibarra ◽  
Samuel Nucamendi-Guillén ◽  
Omar G. Rojas
Keyword(s):  
Integer Program ◽  
National Average ◽  
Mixed Integer ◽  
Mixed Integer Program ◽  
Sales Managers ◽  
Territory Design ◽  
Direct Sales ◽  
Sales Company ◽  
A Company

This chapter presents a case study to organize the sales territories for a company with 11 sales managers to be assigned to 111 sales coverage units in Mexico. The assignment problem is modeled as a mathematical program with two objective functions. One objective minimizes the maximum distance traveled by the manager, and the other objective minimizes the variation of the sales growth goals with respect to the national average. To solve the bi-objective non-linear mixed-integer program, a weights method is selected. Some instances are solved using commercial software with long computational times. Also, a heuristic and a metaheuristic based on simulated annealing were developed. The design of the heuristic generates good solutions for the distance objective. The metaheuristic produces better results than the heuristic, with a better balance between the objectives. The heuristic and the metaheuristic are capable of providing good results with short computational times.

scholarly journals A game-theoretic optimisation approach to fair customer allocation in oligopolies

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 1459-1486
Author(s):  
Vassilis M. Charitopoulos ◽  
Vivek Dua ◽  
Jose M. Pinto ◽  
Lazaros G. Papageorgiou
Keyword(s):  
Integer Program ◽  
Linear Constraints ◽  
Nash Bargaining ◽  
Mixed Integer ◽  
Mixed Integer Program ◽  
Programming Approach ◽  
Theoretic Approach ◽  
Separable Programming ◽  
Process Industries ◽  
Game Theoretic

Abstract Under the ever-increasing capital intensive environment that contemporary process industries face, oligopolies begin to form in mature markets where a small number of companies regulate and serve the customer base. Strategic and operational decisions are highly dependent on the firms’ customer portfolio and conventional modelling approaches neglect the rational behaviour of the decision makers, with regards to the problem of customer allocation, by assuming either static competition or a leader-follower structure. In this article, we address the fair customer allocation within oligopolies by employing the Nash bargaining approach. The overall problem is formulated as mixed integer program with linear constraints and a nonlinear objective function which is further linearised following a separable programming approach. Case studies from the industrial liquid market highlight the importance and benefits of the proposed game theoretic approach.

scholarly journals Clearing Kidney Exchanges via Graph Neural Network Guided Tree Search (Student Abstract)

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (10) ◽  
pp. 13989-13990
Author(s):  
Zeyu Zhao ◽  
John P. Dickerson
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
Independent Set ◽  
Integer Program ◽  
Mixed Integer ◽  
Mixed Integer Program ◽  
Tree Search ◽  
Scalable Algorithms ◽  
Monte Carlo Tree Search ◽  
Kidney Exchange ◽  
Stage Renal Disease

Kidney exchange is an organized barter market that allows patients with end-stage renal disease to trade willing donors—and thus kidneys—with other patient-donor pairs. The central clearing problem is to find an arrangement of swaps that maximizes the number of transplants. It is known to be NP-hard in almost all cases. Most existing approaches have modeled this problem as a mixed integer program (MIP), using classical branch-and-price-based tree search techniques to optimize. In this paper, we frame the clearing problem as a Maximum Weighted Independent Set (MWIS) problem, and use a Graph Neural Network guided Monte Carlo Tree Search to find a solution. Our initial results show that this approach outperforms baseline (non-optimal but scalable) algorithms. We believe that a learning-based optimization algorithm can improve upon existing approaches to the kidney exchange clearing problem.

Branch and Price for Chance-Constrained Bin Packing

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 547-564
Author(s):  
Zheng Zhang ◽  
Brian T. Denton ◽  
Xiaolan Xie
Keyword(s):  
Bin Packing ◽  
Real Data ◽  
Integer Program ◽  
Chance Constraints ◽  
Branch And Cut ◽  
Mixed Integer ◽  
Closed Form Expression ◽  
Mixed Integer Program ◽  
Branch And Price ◽  
Item Size

This article describes two versions of the chance-constrained stochastic bin-packing (CCSBP) problem that consider item-to-bin allocation decisions in the context of chance constraints on the total item size within the bins. The first version is a stochastic CCSBP (SP-CCSBP) problem, which assumes that the distributions of item sizes are known. We present a two-stage stochastic mixed-integer program (SMIP) for this problem and a Dantzig–Wolfe formulation suited to a branch-and-price (B&P) algorithm. We further enhance the formulation using coefficient strengthening and reformulations based on probabilistic packs and covers. The second version is a distributionally robust CCSBP (DR-CCSBP) problem, which assumes that the distributions of item sizes are ambiguous. Based on a closed-form expression for the DR chance constraints, we approximate the DR-CCSBP problem as a mixed-integer program that has significantly fewer integer variables than the SMIP of the SP-CCSBP problem, and our proposed B&P algorithm can directly solve its Dantzig–Wolfe formulation. We also show that the approach for the DR-CCSBP problem, in addition to providing robust solutions, can obtain near-optimal solutions to the SP-CCSBP problem. We implement a series of numerical experiments based on real data in the context of surgery scheduling, and the results demonstrate that our proposed B&P algorithm is computationally more efficient than a standard branch-and-cut algorithm, and it significantly improves upon the performance of a well-known bin-packing heuristic.

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